Displacement
by skauble
Summary: Clark’s abilities had always stood between them. Could hers bring them back together? Chloe/Lex
1. Prologue

**Title:** Displacement  
**Rating:** T  
**Category:** Romance/Suspence  
**Content:** Chlex  
**Summary:** Clark's abilities had always stood between them. Could hers bring them back together?  
**Spoilers:** This takes place in season 5 starting with the episode Hypnotic. But, honestly, the whole series is fair game here.  
**Disclaimer:** Smallville and all its characters are owned by people who are not me. No profit is made and no infringement is intended.  
**A/N #1 –** **This begins with Hypnotic, which I completely rewrite the way I want it to go and then from there I'm off on my own.** I'm going to ignore and/or drastically minimize the stuff with Fine that's going on at this time in the show because this is going to be a much lighter story then my other fics and, frankly, as cute as James Marsters is there's only so much work I want to do.  
**A/N #2 –** This is dedicated to Westwingwolf because it is her birthday and she remembered to remind me. lolol Happy birthday, www. I hope that this story will meet with your approval.  
**A/N #3 –** This story was inspired by the Chloe Meteor Power Fic-a-thon hosted by http//tobywolf13. (remove space between : and / ). I started it but ended up writing something else. The master list for the fic-a-thon at this point is here - http//tobywolf13. The stories were good; you should go take a look.

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**Prologue**

_"Do it, Lionel. Kill your son."_

As Chloe heard the words coming from up ahead, she wondered why Lex chose to remain in a town where watches could be accurately set according to the routine attempts on his life. But, more to the point, she wondered why she stayed when she kept getting caught up in them.

Of course, even though Smallville had far more than it's fair share of weirdness, she was willing to admit barging into the mansion to demand information about some psycho hypno chick, when said psycho was still on the loose and clearly involved with the Luthors, was probably more her fault than the town's.

Not that she had had much choice. When Lana had called her earlier in hysterics because Clark had dumped her for some "blonde bimbo slut", Chloe had rushed to the farm to see what new cosmic catastrophe had befallen her friend.

When she'd finally reached the Kent farm the woman in question was just leaving. Chloe smiled and played nice, but the minute she was gone the interrogation had started. From what she'd been able to gather from a still bemused Clark, all that Simone had done was come onto him, make him believe that they were beginning a relationship, and then had him break up Lana.

Honestly, by Smallville standards Chloe thought that he'd gotten off pretty easy. She hadn't even left him all tranced up, or made him believe he was a chicken. And, while Lana was reeling from the supposed betrayal and Clark would no doubt be serving penance with the brunette for weeks to come, the fact was that they were all very fortunate that whatever he and Simone had done hadn't exposed his powers. God only knew the kind of havoc that some amoral, mind controlling bitch could reek with a Kryptonian at her mercy.

And so, having ascertained that Clark was, with the exception of his perpetual Lana trauma, okay for the moment, Chloe left to see what she could dig up on this Simone and, more importantly, why a woman with this kind of power and no inkling of Clark's secret would waste her time breaking up a farm boy and a small town princess.

Sadly, the answer hadn't been even a little shocking. In Smallville all roads had only two destinations - the meteor rocks and the Luthors. And this time it definitely wasn't the meteor rocks.

From what Chloe had been able to gather, Simone's father had been a renowned hypnotist who was reputed to be able to cure his patients of things from addiction to cancer. And, from what she'd seen, on both Simone and in old news paper reports, it had something to do with the large blue stone hanging on his daughter's neck. Since the man had been killed in a robbery and the only thing taken was the stone, it was her belief that whatever power the man had held was now in Simone's hand.

The only thing she hadn't been able to figure out at this point was which Luthor was actually pulling the strings.

Lex certainly had the motive. It was no secret that he was trying to drive a wedge between Clark and Lana recently. Whether that was due to any genuine interest in the other girl, Chloe was unsure; but whatever Lex's reasons were, there wasn't even the slightest stretch of her imagination necessary for her to believe that he was capable of authoring such a plot.

And yet, Chloe couldn't rule out the elder Luthor as a viable suspect. But while she could easily see Lionel, once again, disrupting Clark's existence, she found it nearly impossible to believe that he'd do so for the sole purpose of ruining his love life. Besides, Clark had been doing a fine job of that for years. Lionel wasn't the type of man who would dirty his hands with a task already being accomplished so magnificently.

But her research had revealed that Lionel had the concrete connection to Simone's father that Lex had lacked. Which left her with the quandary of which held more weight – motive or opportunity?

There was simply no way of telling which one of the two was responsible for the mess that had apparently grown out of even their considerable control. And Chloe would have thought, rather snidely in fact, that it served them both right, if she wasn't about to be dragged into the middle of yet another Smallville deathmatch…or what she liked to call Wednesday.

Peeking around the half open door, Chloe merely planned to scope out the situation before she called for back up. And for once in her dealings with the bizarre that meant the police. After all, Clark was, for obvious reasons, clearly out; and Smallville's finest, while definitely susceptible to Simone's brand of persuasion, would hopefully be able to arrive in great enough numbers that she simply wouldn't be able to manipulate them all.

Despite her sense of resolve it was only her endless experiences with life and death situations that held back Chloe's gasp at the sight that met her eyes. Lex, who had clearly been unsuccessfully trying to reason with his father, was backed up against the nearest wall, his left hand pressed tightly to his right arm, staunching the flow of blood from what was obviously Lionel's previous effort to obey Simone's command.

As Lionel slowly moved forward, the colored light from the stained glass windows caught the edge of the heavy antique dagger clutched in his hand, arcing rainbows waves across the floor. The sight of such beauty from something so clearly designed to kill was incongruous and the contradiction held Chloe momentarily transfixed. But Simone's insistent orders snapped her back to reality. And just in time.

"Kill Lex now!"

Honestly, she felt cheated. For once she'd been planning to be common sense Chloe. She was going to be the girl who cried wolf instead of going out and hunting the damn thing herself. But the new and improved version of her wasn't worth someone's life. Even a Luthor's. And so she sighed and said goodbye to level headed, sensible plan Chloe as she shoved open the door and threw herself towards the two men.

As her feet practically flew across the short distance Chloe realized that she had no idea what she was going to do once she arrived at her destination. She'd really only had time to think of the one plan which mainly involved letting other people handle things. Certainly what she was doing at the moment couldn't be considered a plan. Stupidity, yes. A plan, not so much.

And, unfortunately, there really was no more time to think as she reached the men just in time to grasp Lionel's thrusting arm. A deceptively effective concept until she realized that she hadn't stopped the blades momentum; merely directed it towards herself.

Time seemed to slow and allowed Chloe an individual awareness of the myriad of events unfolding around her. She felt the knife slide past her skin and tear through the muscles of her abdomen in a fiery burst of agony. She felt strong arms go around her, halting what she was certain was a swift descent to the floor. And, oddly enough, she heard Lex's shout of denial before everything went black.

As quickly as the darkness had taken her the light pulled her back. But everything wasn't how she left it. It was all just…wrong. She didn't feel pain, but neither did she feel alright. The room was the same as it had always been, and yet everything looked vaguely off. Her body in Lex's arms was-

And suddenly she realized why things appeared out of whack. Because, while her body was resting against Lex's body, the rest of her wasn't.

Chloe tried to recall everything she'd ever read about out of body experiences. Unfortunately, most of the weirdness she had researched had to do with aliens and meteor rocks. Which was too bad, because she really wanted some clue as to how to get back into her body. She liked it. It fit well and she'd become accustomed to it over the years. Of course, the down side was that it was currently bleeding profusely, but Chloe was fairly certain that she had a better chance at addressing that situation if she were corporeal.

However, Chloe had always been a problem solver, and she knew that normally she could think the situation through to a logical conclusion. She just needed a moment to consider the options. Regrettably, her stabbing didn't appear to have shocked the room into a beneficial silence.

"Chloe? Chloe!"

Hearing the uncustomary fear in Lex's voice Chloe decided she could overlook the fact that his concern, while touching, wasn't actually helping her find a way out of the current mess.

However, Simone's screeching was just obnoxious, both for the sound of her whiny voice and her repetitive incitements to murder.

"Lionel, I _order_ you to kill your son this instant."

Chloe wasn't sure how he was managing to withstand Simone's hypnotic pull, but she was grateful that the older Luthor was no longer scuttling to do her evil bidding. Both because she honestly didn't want to see Lex get hurt and, in a more realistic and self oriented way, she didn't want to see him attacked while he was clutching her defenseless body, trying to stop the rampant spilling of her blood.

Suddenly, to Chloe's great shock, Lex's eyes locked on her. Voice heavy with loathing and accusation he spit at her, "What have you done?"

He was blaming her? Chloe's mind reeled at the unfairness of that thought when she had gone charging in there in the first place to save his miserable, ungrateful life. And she was just about to tell him as much when she heard someone rushing up behind her.

Forgetting her predicament and acting on instinct alone, Chloe turned towards the sound, and pushed forward to ward of what she assumed was an attack. She saw her own shock revealed on Simone's face as the knife in Chloe's hand slammed into the stone she was wearing, breaking it, before sliding into the other woman's chest.

Simone's shock was easy to understand; she'd just been stabbed and was slowly sinking to the floor, dagger still embedded in her. Chloe's shock, however, came not from just killing a woman, although she was certain that trauma would set in momentarily, but because she had held the dagger…with a hand that wasn't hers.

But this was Smallville, so there could never be one mind bending ordeal at a time.

And then bad went to worse and worse traveled light years to unbearably horrific as she realized that the reason that she wasn't in her own body was because she was in Lionel Luthor's.

"Lex?"

Chloe could hear the quaver in the voice that spoke – Lionel's voice; and it must have sounded as strange to Lex as it did to her because his head jerked up in response and his eyes narrowed. But whatever problems he had with his father's uncharacteristic behavior he seemed to quickly shake of as Chloe saw his attention once again concentrate itself on her wounded body.

"Call an ambulance!"

That was a good plan. Chloe whole heartedly approved of that idea. And she knew that, under normal circumstances that would be her top priority. But normally she wasn't trapped in the mortal coil of Satan, so she figured she could be forgiven her hesitation.

"Lex," she tried once again. "That's not me. I mean - that _is_ me, but I'm not in there."

She knew that she was mucking things up, but explaining to someone that she was inhabiting their father's body was apparently not her forte. Still, she was nothing if not persistent. And desperate to get out of Lionel's body. God only knew where it had been.

"It's me, Chloe."

She didn't know what it was that convinced him; something in her voice, her eyes, the general lack of an "I'm going to crush you and serve your children as an amuse buche" air that Lionel seemed to perpetually project. Whatever it was that tipped Lex off, Chloe was sure that it would horrify Lionel no end and that gave her some small measure of comfort.

Suddenly the hall rang with the sound of footsteps and the missing security flooded into the room.

She was glad when Lex barked at the men to call for help. At that point she wasn't sure that she could have managed such a complex task in her new body. In fact, she didn't even make it the three steps over to her own injured form without stumbling and was grateful to sink to her knees.

A terrible thought occurred to her and Lionel's trembling voice emerged once more.

"I'm not-"

Chloe couldn't even finish her question; wouldn't contemplate what manner of cruel fate would kill her body, leaving her body trapped in a living hell.

"No." Lex's fierce response was reassuring, but the growing spread of crimson that even his large hands could not contain belied his confident assertion. As she watched the precious liquid pool on the floor Chloe couldn't help but ponder which was worse - being stabbed or being Lionel.

With shaking, unfamiliar hands, Chloe removed the jacket of Lionel's suit. Knowing the smooth, expensive material might actually be worth more than her life didn't concern her in the least as she passed it to Lex who promptly pressed it against her wound.

She was so pale. Chloe wasn't sure if it was the loss of blood or the loss of her soul that had turned her skin to parchment, and she couldn't stop herself from reaching out to gently brush her ashen cheek.

The earlier darkness rose up and engulfed her once more, only to be replaced, near instantly, with blinding light and burning pain. As her eyes fluttered open, she was met with gray eyes, swirling with anxious concern.

"Chloe?"

About to answer Lex's hesitant inquiry, Chloe was distracted by a loud thud. Turning her head was an experiment in agony, but it was worth it for the concrete proof that she was back in her own body. For there, in an untidy pile on the floor, was the unconscious form of Lionel Luthor.

Glancing back at Lex's worried expression, Chloe did her best to fight past the pain and let Lex know that she was herself once more; although inside she again cursed the vagaries of their small town that made such ridiculous assurances necessary.

"Yeah. I'm me again."

Despite his serious demeanor, a small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he, too, appreciated the overwhelming strangeness that made up their lives.

Chloe watched as Lex's lips began moving again, but no sound reached her ears. She knew that she was losing consciousness and could only hope that she'd remain safely tucked into her body this time. Before her last hold on reality faded, once final thought spilled across her mind - of the two experiences, being stabbed was _much_ better.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter One

**A/N:** I just thought I'd mention again that this story is set in Season 5 and goes off on its own starting with Hypnotic. So it's before episodes like Fragile, Freak, and Progeny.

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**Chapter One**

Lex watched the gentle rise and fall of Chloe's chest, relieved with the tangible evidence that she was well on the road to recovery. He had to admit that he was surprised at the lack of actual damage caused by the coming together of such a large dagger and a woman of relatively modest size.

Not that Chloe Sullivan ever came across as diminutive. Brash and brave to the point of foolhardiness, she was an odd mix of the raw power of a Luthor tempered by the kind heart of a Kent. It had never surprised him that she'd ended up as a go between for most of his conflicts with Clark. She was one of the few people in their tiny town complex enough to be able to deal with the ambiguous nature of his family.

In fact, of all the casualties of his on going trials with Clark, Lex had to admit that one of the things he most regretted was the loss of Chloe's friendship.

And they had been friends.

During the time that they had worked together to take down Lionel, Lex had grown quite fond of the blonde reporter. He'd found very few people in his life worth admiring, and rarer still was someone who believed in him and was willing to take that faith to that mat in a face off with his father. Chloe had impressed him both with her courage and her genuine concern for him outside of their common goals.

It had pained him to sever their ties, but unraveling the mystery surrounding his former friend had been his priority for so long, and Lex was realistic enough to understand that remaining close to Chloe and uncovering Clark's secret would most likely be mutually exclusive ventures. It had been a tempting thought to use his in with Chloe as a pathway to his former friend, but he knew that it would ultimately prove futile and had instead set his sights on exploiting his relationship with Lana.

Not that he believed that Lana would simply betray Clark. Lana was by no means evil; was, in fact, a generally sweet natured young woman. No, his advantage with the brunette laid in her unconscious lack of empathy. While Lana was certainly bright enough to intellectually grasp what other's were going through, her inability to feel it, be affected by it on some personal level, kept her from giving the concerns of those around her a place of prominence in her own priorities. And in turn, because only her own affairs held any importance in her mind, she seemed to labor under the misconception that those very same issues were at the center of everyone's thought process. Therefore, when anyone acted in any manner that did not specifically cater to her needs, she was convinced that it was a conscious act of betrayal as opposed to merely people living their own lives the best way they saw fit.

It was that myopic, although non-malicious view of the world that made Lana painfully easy to manipulate and thus perfect for his plans. And those plans were working. But now, sitting at the bedside of someone who'd not simply saved him from harm, but threw themselves in its way on his behalf, he had to wonder at what he'd given up.

Lex's thoughts took a back seat to his relief as he watched Chloe's eyes slowly open. He could see the brief confusion on her face before she seemed to remember where she was. He'd wanted to be there when she'd first awoken after her surgery, but with Clark clearly unprepared to leave his bedside vigil he'd decided to wait until they could have some privacy. He was certain that Chloe had a myriad of questions to shoot at him. Lord knew she always did. But this time he had more than a few of his own to fire back; an exchange that would go far smoother without outside interference.

"Aren't visiting hours over?" Chloe asked, looking pointedly at both the darkened window and the late hour on the clock.

He smirked, knowing that she was trying to put him on the defensive before she began her interrogation. He'd be happy that she was so talented at her chosen profession if it didn't always seem to conflict with his own.

"Yes, well, there are benefits to being a benefactor of the hospital. And being able to look in on friends is definitely one of them."

"So is avoiding Clark," she countered.

Chloe hadn't had the greatest couple of days. She'd been once again pulled into a wall of weird moment, she'd been Lionel, and almost been killed. And as she still had no answers as to the cause of any of it she felt no desire to sit there, dancing around Lex's issues when they could be covering important matters.

But Lex surprised her with his easy acquiescence.

"Of course. Whatever problems Clark and I might have lately don't need revisiting and certainly not here." Lex gestured at the hospital setting. "I felt it best for all involved that any unpleasantness be kept to a minimum."

As his expression grew more serious, Chloe felt caught in the sudden intensity that darkened Lex's gaze.

"Why?"

Remembering all of the reasons that she was grateful to have given up dealing with cryptic Luthors, Chloe's brow furrowed in confusion as she demanded, "Why what?"

"You saved my life."

The statement was unnecessary in Chloe's opinion as she was sure her newest set of stitches would bring that fact to mind frequently over the next seven to ten days.

Besides, while she was quite certain that to Lex, someone giving up their seat on a bus to him – were he ever to lower himself to ride one – would be akin to a near miracle, she hardly thought that, what with the hypnotizing and body switching, it was the most note worthy event of the day. Not that she'd mind a hearty "thank you" from someone for a change, but there were other matters, far more pressing, that needed addressing.

Still, it seemed somehow sad to her that someone who was as driven to find the truth as she herself was was completely distracted from such amazing, although disturbing, happenings simply because their continued well being had been a priority to someone other than himself. It made Chloe appreciate the people in her life that much more and gave her the patience to tackle Lex's perpetual neediness - not that she'd call it that to his face - and postpone her own quest for understanding.

But only for a few minutes. After all, Lex's multitude of insecurities aside, clearly the top priority on everyone's list should be making sure that no one, by which she mostly meant herself, ever had to be Lionelized again. There were some things even antibacterial soap couldn't clean.

"First of all, you've known me for how long, Lex? I'm always putting myself at risk, and I have the hospital bills and my father's ulcer to back that up."

It was true, but it was also the pat answer that gave her a little extra time to work up her nerve. Lex wasn't the only one reluctant to share his inner most thoughts with the class. In fact, except for Lana, whose disclosures were generally a thinly veiled demand that others meet her emotional needs, her friends were pleasantly reticent when it came to excessive displays of feelings. They'd all been burn victims when it came to soul baring exposures, and had learned the hard way that there was often far more pain than gain to be had in matters of the heart.

"Look, you and I were friends once, Lex." Chloe frowned a little at the past tense of her statement. "You and Clark may want to make mountainous shrines out of your molehill issues, and that's fine, but leave me out of it."

Chloe's arm moved towards him, but Lex was not a man who invited casual touches, and so she stopped short of any actual contact.

"If there's anyone on the planet who understands epic friendship mistakes, it's me," she said and a shadow of pain passed briefly over her face. "But I've also learned that moral high ground is a fairly elusive place - eventually everyone screws up royally. The trick is to acknowledge your mistakes while things are still reparable."

"Are you telling me that things between Clark and myself can be repaired?"

"No," she laughed. "That ship's pretty much sailed and turned out to be a funeral pyre. And frankly, I'm tired of trying to beat out the flames."

She paused, her tone turning serious once more. "I just meant that whatever's happening between the two of you doesn't have to define whatever happens between the two of us. I know it doesn't always seem this way, but I'm not actually an extension of Clark Kent. I have interests of my own; things I like that Clark doesn't - Lois, for instance."

Lex knew that Chloe was trying to maintain a light tone in their discussion. Knew that neither of them were fond of vulnerability. But he also understood that her tentative offer of friendship was genuine and, ironically, it was the very heartfelt nature of the proposal that made it so difficult for him to accept.

It was no secret that Lex had more than a few deficiencies in regards to personal interactions. His aversion to opening himself to others made it difficult to initiate friendships and his inherent distrust of their motives made it nearly impossible to keep those he'd begun.

His father had taught him early that nothing good comes without price and he'd found little to disprove that theory. When Clark had first saved him Lex had finally found a reason to question all that he'd been taught. Someone willing to risk their own life for his defied his father's perceptions of people and had given Lex hope for something more than his Luthor destiny.

But as time passed, his suspicions about his friend's secret grew and evidence began mounting that Clark was almost ridiculously impervious to harm. And while that didn't take away from Lex's gratitude that his life had been saved, it dimmed the optimism with which he had briefly begun to view human nature. After all, if Clark had rescued him with no risk to himself, it was still kind, but by no means a gesture of unparalleled selflessness.

And he had to admit that a part of him was satisfied with the disappointing turn of events. Distrust was the devil he knew and there was comfort in the predictable if for no other reason than he was no longer caught of guard by the pain of betrayal.

But Chloe's action had shaken that sense of safety that he had painstakingly rebuilt; had shattered his illusory walls. Lying there, bleeding in his arms, she was the proof he had long thought non-existent that altruism might actually exist, and that faith in others could be more than an invitation to treachery.

It made her dangerous, and yet oddly irresistible. And while everything in him was screaming to turn down her unexpected invitation, Lex found that an outright refusal was beyond him.

And so he simply nodded, knowing that Chloe was astute enough to grasp both his acceptance and his reluctance to verbalize it. Besides, he knew that Chloe was probably on the verge of bursting with curiosity over the most recent of Smallville oddities.

She didn't disappoint.

"So," Chloe was once again 100 reporter, "which would you like to tackle first - What's the deal with Ms. Mind-control? Why was she trying to break up Lana and Clark? Why was she trying to make your dad kill you? And last, but by far the most important of these questions, how did she shove me into Lionel's body and can I expect any disgusting lingering effects besides the obvious decades of reliving the experience in my nightmares?"

Starting with her first inquiry, Lex recounted the facts he had learned. "Dr. Paul Jessop, Simone's father, was a world renowned hypno-therapist. He had an unbelievable success rate, which we now know was attributable to the stone Simone wore."

Chloe nodded. Her research had turned up much the same information.

"There's tentative evidence that she was involved in some petty crimes, but what concerns me is the murder of her father." Lex grabbed his briefcase, pulled out a file and passed it to her.

"The first picture is from video surveillance cameras on the Jessop estate. Note the certain blue stone on the chain around his neck." He waited until she'd turned to the next picture. "That one is from the crime scene photos of a supposed robbery gone wrong. You'll notice what is missing."

And Chloe did notice. The stone that she'd just seen on Dr. Jessop was no longer there. Of course, she knew that Simone had it, but she'd thought that it had simply gone to her after her father's death.

"You think she killed her own father?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "And, more than that, I'm fairly certain that my father knew."

Nothing surprised Chloe anymore when it came to Lionel, but that didn't mean that he was responsible. Lex's theories seemed supported but were ultimately suspect. Luthor's never had a problem throwing each other under the train wheels.

"You're unconvinced. I respect that." And he did. Chloe was too smart to draw conclusions from such circumstantial evidence. "I've found records connecting Dr, Jessop to a classified project at LuthorCorp, and the security footage of the confrontation at the mansion before your arrival is quite significant.

"While it's nothing that would procure a conviction, my father did try to talk Ms. Jessop out of any hasty action with a familiarity that suggests previous contact. The interesting part is her reply that she could hardly leave him alive."

Her eyebrows rose as Chloe, too, found the remark telling. Her agile mind sifted though what she knew of Lionel's association with Dr. Jessop, Simone's probable killing of the man, and the fact that the woman felt the need to dispose of Lionel. With the exception of the absence of some relevant answers, a picture was emerging that had the elder Luthor's fingerprints all over it. Still –

"Why kill you? And was she stupid enough to believe that Lionel wouldn't come after her? I mean, sure, there have been times when your dad wanted you dead, but that doesn't mean he'd let anyone else kill you."

"Apparently she's planned to make our deaths appear to be a murder-suicide." A bitter smile twisted Lex's lips. "And sadly, given our history, the story would have been extremely credible and would have left her with neither vengeful Luthor to concern her."

It all made a strange kind of sense, but Chloe knew that, in Smallville, lies were as plentiful as corn. "I want to see the security footage…today."

"Of course."

His easy acquiescence calmed her. There were a lot of things Lex's money could achieve, but a complete over haul of the video in question to convincingly portray conversations that hadn't occurred was most likely beyond even him. Not because he wouldn't do such a thing, but because there simply wasn't enough time to accomplish it.

"But why the hell would your dad want to break up Clark and Lana?" She asked, refusing to believe that Lionel, of all people, had succumbed to the Lana's doe-eyed charms.

"That's a question I've been trying to answer all day," he confessed. "Although you know better than anyone that my father has harbored an unwarranted interest in Clark's life."

Chloe bit back a comment about pots and kettles in favor of a more productive line of questioning. "So you don't think he wanted you dead?" She asked with as much delicacy as one could muster when discussing someone who, at different points and times, had actually wanted to end Lex's life.

"I think that even on his good days my father dedicates at least an hour to planning my demise. But, I doubt that was his goal in this. If there's one thing the Luthor's abhor it's the absence of control. No," his mouth twisted in wry acceptance of the fact, "while we both know dear old dad wouldn't hesitate to eliminate me, he would certainly want to be the one pulling the strings."

Chloe knew better than to show even the slightest sympathy. Lex wasn't able to distinguish the difference between concern and pity so it was counterproductive to offer the former as he'd simply mistake it for the latter and no comfort would be had.

"And the Freaky Friday body swap? That didn't damage anything other than my psyche, right?"

When Lex reached out and grasped her hand, Chloe began to worry.

"Chloe, from the information I've been able to gather, what happened isn't a standard side effect of the stone. In fact, I can't find any evidence that it's happened before this."

"Which means what?" Her deepening apprehension clear in her voice.

"Which means that I can't explain what occurred and so there's no way to guarantee that it won't happen again."

He hesitated and Chloe's stomach sank further at the thought that there might be worse news than that already delivered.

"Chloe, I'd like to have some tests done. I have some scientists work–"

"No!" She snatched her hand back. "I'm not some experiment for you to study, Lex."

Lex wasn't hurt by her automatic refusal; had been expecting it.

"I know that you don't trust me, and I'm not going to waste our time pretending that you don't have cause. But," he leaned forward, "I'm hoping we can move past that and try to start again. If for no other reason than you saved my life, Chloe. That means something to me."

And she could see in his eyes that it did. It was a gamble to do anything with a Luthor, but she could almost feel the sincerity radiating from him. Lex had always had a weakness for people he honestly believed cared for him in some way. In light of her throwing herself on a dagger on his behalf, she could clearly see how he had moved her in to that category. Whatever the future might bring, at this moment Lex's offer was genuine and, more to the point, Chloe needed to know exactly what had happened to her too much to turn down the help.

Mentally crossing her fingers and already trying to invent an explanation that would placate Clark, Chloe took the plunge.

"Okay, when can we get started?"

**TBC**


	3. Chapter Two

A/N: Because it's been a while since I posted I want to reiterate a few things about this story. First, this story goes AU starting with the events in season 5's Hypnotic. Second, this is supposed to be a lighter toned story for me so there's not going to be vast explorations of morality or the lack thereof. I've tried not to gloss over things in a ridiculous manner, but I'm not delving into them either.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"You agreed to do what?!"

Placating Clark was, apparently, out. Damage control was all that was left.

It had been four days since Chloe had accepted Lex's offer, and she'd spent every one of them trying to figure out a way to break the news to Clark without adding even more to his very full plate. But finally she'd just broken down and told him as he drove her home from the hospital. Her appointment with Lex's scientists was for later that afternoon and no matter what she and Lex had discussed in regards to friendship she wasn't about to go to some LuthorCorp lab, even one that was well known and reputable, without someone she trusted knowing where she would be, what she would be doing, and waiting for a phone call when she was done.

Besides, Clark was her best friend and confidant, and she owed him the chance to make his feelings about this know before it happened. Although Chloe couldn't think of much he could say that would change her mind, she wasn't arrogant enough to not even listen.

"Clark, what else am I going to do?" she asked in a placating tone. "It's not like I can go to Doc Connors and tell him I had a body swapping episode with a hypnotized billionaire and could he run some test to make sure I didn't get cooties."

Clark knew it was a good thing that he was invulnerable, otherwise he was pretty sure he would have ground his teeth to dust as he listened to Chloe's flippant disregard for the danger of her plan. Worse was that he knew that her snark was often a way of covering her fears and, as always, her doubts served to magnify his own.

"He can't be trusted, Chlo."

Unlike Lex, Clark was a person who welcomed the comfort of touch and Chloe reached over and squeezed his knee in a pacifying gesture. "I'm not asking you to trust _him_, Clark. I'm asking you to trust _me_.

The truck came to a halt in front of the Talon where Chloe was planning to finish recuperating. Turning in his seat, Clark grasped her hand in his own.

"Chloe, of course I trust you. Don't ever doubt that." And the sincerity flickering like green flames in his eyes made it impossible to do anything other than believe him. "I just- it's just that you're my best friend and you mean a lot to me. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

Of course Chloe knew that to be the case, but she couldn't deny the thrill it gave her to hear it all the same. There would always be a part of her that took a secret kind of pleasure in being special to Clark Kent.

"I promise you that I'll be careful, Clark. Not only will I call you when I get home, I'll make sure to let Lex know that someone's waiting to hear from me," she assured him. "Besides, we both know that, even if he were so inclined, Lex won't take me anywhere nefarious because the last thing you'd do if you were actually contemplating world domination is to drag a reporter to your lair."

Reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair from his face she tenderly admonished him. "Try not to sit home all day worrying. 'Cause "wearing a hole in the carpet" might not just be an expression when it comes to you, and no matter how invulnerable you are you don't know that you're impervious to wrinkles."

"I'll try."

The reassurances were the best either of them were going to get and they held to a hope for the best that was both foolish and essential in Smallville.

* * *

Chloe had been surprised, even though it wasn't particularly astonishing, that instead of simply arranging for a car to pick her up, Lex had arrived to personally escort her to the lab.

And, more than that, he had stayed through each and every test, soothing that portion of her nervousness that was motivated by the seemingly endless medical procedures and politely ignoring the part that stemmed from her general distrust of all things Luthor. She had a feeling that was as much for his benefit as hers, but it was a conciliatory gesture and she appreciated it as such.

She also appreciated Lex's attempts to keep her entertained with light banter and clever conversation during the downtime between tests. Even now, as they were waiting for some of the results to come back - one of the many perks of owning a research facility - he was regaling her with a humorous tale of a rather well known socialite's misadventures at the last charity function he'd attended.

A knock sounded at the door, and at Lex's beckoning a number of doctors filed into the room. Screw bedside manner, Chloe thought; she would have settled for a few poker faces instead of the somber, funeral appropriate expressions being sported by the men in white.

Lex, too, picked up on the unpleasant tension that arrived with his scientists. It was as palpable as the mounting anxiety from Chloe and he decided to cut through all of the gentle news breaking. He saw no reason to waste both his and Chloe's time on sympathies that would only annoy her.

"Gentlemen," he drew their attention from Chloe to himself. "I take it you have some conclusive results."

"Indeed," Dr. Kendrick, who, despite his small stature exuded the authority befitting the head of a LuthorCorp research facility, confirmed. "We've found no negative residual effects from your experience."

And yet somehow those words failed to ease Chloe's mind.

"However,"

Chloe knew it!

"We have reason to believe that the altercation with Ms. Jessop was not the cause of the shift of consciousness, merely the trigger."

"And the cause would be?"

Chloe was glad Lex asked that question because she wasn't certain that she wanted to hear the answer badly enough to have voiced it herself.

"We've detected some genetic anomalies present that are consistent with exposure to the radiation exuded by the meteorites. We believe that there is a high probability that the transference event that you experiences is a physical manifestation of the mutation in your DNA."

Her vision blurred, blood roared in her ears and for one humiliating moment she thought she might pass out. She didn't hear Lex order the doctors to leave, or see their fascinated gazes on her as they filed out, but she did feel the strong, warm hand that settled on her back, pushing her forward until her head neared her knees and the darkness threatening to swallow her abated.

"Chloe, are you alright?"

Her spine stiffened as she shot upright. "Alright? I'm a meteor freak, Lex. There won't be any alright for me for the rest of my life; however brief that'll be now."

Lex was far less shocked than Chloe. After the incident with Simone, he'd gathered all of the information there was to be had on both her and her late father. He'd scoured the reports for even the most obscure reference to some type of a transmission of consciousness. In the complete and utter lack of any such corroboration, he had begun to consider other options. And whether the good folks of Smallville wanted to accept it or not, the meteor rocks were the next logical choice. Especially with someone who'd been exposed as often as Chloe had.

So he'd been prepared for these results and, subsequently, Chloe's possible hysteria.

"Chloe," the calm authority is his voice was both comforting and commanding and her eyes were pulled to meet his. "I know you're upset. I know that this isn't news you ever wanted to hear and, given your experiences in this town, no one could blame you for that. But before you write your future off as a lost cause there are some things that you need to know."

Those damn rocks had scrambled her DNA like some kind of omelet and Chloe felt disinclined to let go of even a smidgeon of anger over that fact. Not because life was unfair or she felt punished by the universe at large, but because under that anger was fear. A great deal of fear.

Chloe had seen more than her fair share of meteor freaks over the years. Hell, she'd gone searching for them half the time. If there were requirements for the position of meteor freakologist, then she guessed that she met most of them. She'd seen the victims, she'd written the stories, she'd tried to warn the masses; she knew what happened to those whose lives were so profoundly altered by the arrival of Kryptonite on this planet.

With a deep breath Chloe pushed those thoughts aside. Yes, she was angry. Yes, she was afraid. And yes, she had every right to both of those emotions. But letting them rule her; make her decisions for her? That wasn't going to happen.

"Okay, talk."

Lex was impressed. He knew that she was frightened but she was pushing through it admirably. Of course, Chloe Sullivan had never been one to give up in a fight just because the odds weren't stacked in her favor. And though, like everyone, she sometimes required assistance when things became unpleasant, she was never the type of woman to play the victim and wait for the nearest man to rush to her rescue.

"I doubt it comes as any surprise to you that LuthorCorp has done extensive testing on both the meteor rocks and their effects." Lex smiled at her eye roll; the unspoken 'duh' hanging in the air. "Although I'm sure you disapprove, the fact is that they either have the promise of tremendous scientific advancement, the potential for great harm, or both. And for everyone's benefit, they have to be studied no matter which of those options prove true."

"You're talking about Level 33.1, aren't you?" And for the first time that particular question was asked with more fear than accusation.

Lex gave her a considering look. He knew that Chloe wouldn't accept his help if he wasn't forthcoming about the facility that he'd gone to great lengths to keep hidden, and he found himself willing to break his long kept silence for two very important reasons.

The first was that Chloe had saved his life. Not with forethought and a careful weighing of pros and cons, but because it was simply her instinctual reaction to seeing him in danger. Her regard for his well being even at the possible cost of her own life made her worthy of his trust in a way that no one else was.

Secondly, and far more satisfying to the analytical side of him, as one of those affected by the meteors Chloe would be given the chance to see that there was much more to the issue than people turning into murderous, psychotic freaks. And that, in turn, would make her far less likely to expose the portions of the project that he shared with her.

"Level 33.1 started out as Level 3," he aimed a sharp look at Chloe at her small sound of triumph at having her suspicions confirmed and was satisfied to see her mouth snap shut again. "My father ran various studies and experiments of which I was completely unaware until I took over the running of the company. At that time the focus of the project changed."

Lex didn't feel the need to justify himself, he hadn't since the breakdown of his relationship with Clark. He did, however, want Chloe to believe what he was about to tell her; to understand the subtleties in the gray areas in a way he knew now that Clark never would have been able to no matter how much either of them had tried to make things work.

"I know that there are rumors that we keep some of the meteor infected there and it's true," again he had to cut her off, "but not in the way that you think."

He could practically see the question swirling in her head, but she stayed silent and nodded her head for him to continue and he was grateful that someone was actually still willing to give him a chance to explain without already deciding that every word would be a lie.

"Chloe, how many times has someone been threatened by an escapee from Belle Reve? Lex, seeing the answer in her slight grimace, continued. "Belle Reve is a facility designed to treat a wide range of the mentally ill population, including those in the throes of a violent psychosis. But it was never designed to contain people with extraordinary abilities. And time has proven that it's dangerous to try.

"People were getting hurt. Staff, patients, the public at large and, eventually, the meteor infected themselves when they were either returned or killed. Something had to be done, not just for the public's sake, but because the situation forced Belle Reve to manage their high risk patients with heavy sedation that left it impossible to treat them in any way that might actually allow for recovery and a reintroduction to society."

Despite her outward calm, inside Chloe was reeling at all the new information she'd been hit with at once. Not only her meteor freak status, which she wasn't sure she'd be able to seriously contemplate for days, but on top of that was not just an admission of the existence of Level 33.1, but an explanation of its purpose. And she almost wanted to hit Lex for that; for giving her what she'd been searching for so long at a time when she was too overwhelmed to relish the discovery.

Worst of all was the fact that what Lex was saying actually made a certain amount of sense and she wasn't quite sure if that was because it was actually reasonable or because her brain was so overloaded that her good sense had gone offline. Whichever the case, she planned on giving him a fair hearing.

She'd known Lex for years, seen him in good times and bad and she knew that he had an almost obsessive devotion for people who showed him the slightest bit of care. She truly believed that there was a time when, if Clark had trusted him with his secret, Lex would have gone to the ends of the earth to protect it. And so she was aware that she'd undergone a radical change in his eyes. And because of that her instincts were telling her that he was being straight with her, because he now saw her as someone trustworthy. Of course that didn't mean that she wasn't going to get in a few questions and comments.

"But those patients have rights. They're committed by the court and they deserve to have access to the legal process."

"Chloe," his tone was calm and even, "do you really think I could manage all of this outside of the government's purview? There are courts records for all of these patients. No matter how blind this community is, the unauthorized disappearance of numerous psychiatric patients would eventually raise red flags."

"So the government is just sending these people to your secret facility out of the goodness of their hearts?"

"This is the government," a wry smile twisted his lips. "There's no such thing as goodness or hearts involved. I won't pretend that the phenomenon isn't being studied, but the secrecy is for the patients' benefit as much as the public's."

Although she was trying to keep an open mind, Chloe couldn't stop the doubt from crossing her face and lifting a brow. But she noticed that Lex didn't seem to take offense. In fact, his previous grin reappeared before he became serious once more.

"What do you think would happen if the government openly built a facility to house the meteor infected? Can you imagine the public reaction? It would be spark a witch hunt where everyone would be suspect and any slight irregularity would be grounds for a lynching."

A sick feeling settled in her stomach as Chloe acknowledged both the reality of what Lex was saying and the fact that, as the newest to join the ranks of the genetically rearranged, she could quite possibly end up being public enemy number one.

"You have to understand, Chloe, it's not just patients from Belle Reeve that we treat. We get referrals from a few select doctors in the area who have patients that exhibit unique and unexplainable abilities. They're given a battery of tests, both for specific physical changes and some designed to explore the extent of their genetic restructuring and then they're provided with assistance in learning how to control their capabilities."

Lex leaned forward and the intensity that radiated from him was almost palpable.

"I know that you're leery. I know that I've done things to damage the trust you had for me in the past. But Chloe," he leaned forward, "I've always wanted to help people. You may not always agree with my methods, but it is my ultimate goal."

And, sadly, Chloe knew that in some twisted way that was true.

She knew that Clark was worried because of Lex's involvement with Victor and A.C., and those were worries that she didn't even attempt to minimize. Partially because they had a great deal of validity, and partly because she understood the way in which Lex viewed the world and she'd never be able to fully explain those views to Clark.

Lex saw himself as a man who could do great things. And she believed that he was. But his eyes were always fixed only on the final outcome. He was truly a visionary. It was the process between inception and completion that was where his difficulty lay.

But what Clark couldn't see was that, to Lex, A.C. wasn't a great guy out to save the whales. He was an eco terrorist who was trying to derail a project designed to save the lives of American soldiers.

And while Chloe would never delude herself into thinking that Lex didn't have a variety of motives for saving Victor, she did honestly believe that he saw it as giving someone a second chance at life while also, and she'd admit that it may have been his priority, gaining unprecedented and invaluable knowledge in a new field.

He'd told Clark that he believed that some miracles had a price, but that didn't make them any less profound. And she knew that was how he saw what had been done to Victor – as a miracle. She also knew that since they'd helped Victor escape, LuthorCorp had left him alone. Whether that would hold or not she couldn't say, but it left open the possibility that Lex's actions had been dubious, but less sinister than they seemed.

She doubted that Lex was either as good as he claimed or as villainous as Clark would believe, but rather that the truth was somewhere in the middle. To Clark that wouldn't make a difference, but to Chloe it was a door to a different part of Lex that she didn't want to slam shut. It made her wonder if maybe it wasn't the best course of action for anyone with even a slight concept of a less Machiavellian set of ethics to abandon him at this point. Because the one thing she was sure of was that Lex would never be able to sort out his numerous moral dilemmas out on his own.

And, honestly, Chloe found it hard to blame him for that. She knew Clark did, and he had his reasons to. She wasn't foolish enough to try to talk the two men back into being friends. But Chloe wasn't Clark. She didn't have the betrayal issues and, more importantly, the girlfriend difficulties that lay between the former friends. On the other hand, Chloe had had experiences with the Luthors that Clark lacked. And those experiences gave her a different yet equally valid perspective.

Because of their time spent fighting Lionel, Chloe had seen a side of Lex that, even with their years of friendship, Clark had not. He thought that Lex didn't want to be good. Chloe knew that he just didn't always know how. After all, he'd been raised by Lionel Luthor, a man comparable to the devil except inasmuch as Satan, at least, could claim to have been an angel at some point.

Now she was in a position to rebuild that burgeoning friendship that had faltered when the threat of Lionel was removed and the soap opera that was daily Smallville life resumed, and she had to admit that appealed to her in a lot of ways. Although her friendship with Clark was amazing, Chloe had always been a girl temporarily banished to the sticks. It was something she and Lex shared; one of the many ways in which they were compatible. In fact, Chloe had always found it amusing that Clark, who'd come from another planet, adapted better to Smallville than she and Lex who'd come from a city three hours away.

Still, Clark, for all of his alien heritage, dire secrets, and romantic angst rarely seen outside of a Dawson's Creek episode, was still so much less maintenance than the man before her. Clark, like everyone, had his forays into situational ethics but, by and large, his concept of right and wrong was deeply set in a way that made him comfortingly predictable.

However, Lex, with his shades of light gray, dark gray, and absolutely black and his moral compass that spun like it was sitting on a magnet, was a swirling mass of complexities and contradictions. A relationship with him lacked the security found with Clark, but it was thrilling in its own way - like a roller coaster. You were almost certain that you wouldn't careen off the tracks and die, but the possibility added dimension to the whirlwind ride.

Lex watched as Chloe sorted through the reservations and doubts in her mind. He wasn't stupid. He was well aware that he was asking a lot expecting her to extend her trust again. Chloe could be impulsive, but she was never stupid, and if she had the chance to consider a situation she'd take the utmost advantage of it. And although he knew that too much was being thrown at her to really settle things with any finality, Lex saw the moment that resolve lit her eyes and the scales tipped in his favor. He wasn't about to let the opportunity pass him by.

"Chloe, I need you to listen to me. I know because of your wall of meteor related incidents, you think that those infected are some kind of freakish, sliver of the population who snap and begin using their powers to hurt of control those around them. And based on your experiences that's a logical conclusion to draw."

Wanting to soother her anxiety but knowing nothing would comfort her but the truth he continued.

"But the studies we've done have shown that not to be the case. In fact," he continued, "my scientists have estimated that approximately 19 percent of Smallville residents have some form of mutation due to radiation exposure either during or after the meteor showers."

Her eyes widened as Chloe tried to wrap her mind around the fact that one out of every five people she'd met had been altered on some basic level by Kryptonite.

"But that can't be. We'd know. No matter how deep this town may be in denial there's no way that everyone could ignore that many of it's citizens doing things like walking down main street, spontaneously combusting cars with their minds."

"You're missing the point," he told her, although he chuckled at the image. "Most of the affected are never even aware that anything has changed. Their lives are no different than if the meteors had never fallen."

He waited a moment to let that sink in before revealing the additional results of the studies.

"3 percent of those who carry the mutation seem to manifest some type of ability. Chloe," his voice took on an urgency, "that's over two hundred people."

"What?" Chloe's rough whispered sounded her incredulity.

"That's right. Hundreds of people with abilities that have ranged from slightly heightened hearing to telekinesis. For reasons I'm sure you can appreciate," he smiled slightly, "most of them don't advertise the changes. But if two hundred and fifty people were suddenly given godlike powers that made them psychotic, well, even the people of Smallville would have to concede that something wasn't right. But the fact is that those of the infected who have manifested some type of ability have done so with little or no adverse effects."

She was torn. Chloe Sullivan, reporter extraordinaire wanted to know exactly what kind of studies LuthorCorp was running that could produce numbers that accurate. However, Chloe Sullivan, the newly minted meteor freak was just glad for the assurance they offered.

"But this doesn't mean that I won't turn into some sort of psycho body snatcher."

"No," Lex agreed, "it doesn't. However, it does put the odds slightly more in your favor."

She nodded her agreement.

"True. But my lack of homicidal tendencies is going to be a small conciliation if I get myself killed jumping out of my body and into those of random strangers."

She made a good point, and it was the one for which Lex had been waiting. There were few people in life that Lex could truly trust. He wasn't one to extend his faith blindly and his philosophy towards others was to believe in people who had already proven themselves worthy of his time. Lex had learned the hard way that the benefit of the doubt never benefited him in the least.

When Chloe had placed herself between him and his father's weapon, she had proven beyond question that she meant him no harm; indeed, cared about his well being. It was a position which he was rarely in and he found himself wanting to grab on to her offer to try to repair their friendship. Of course, he knew that Clark would oppose any such attempts, and since Chloe's loyalty for the boy knew no bounds Lex had decided to ensure his opportunity with her by offering her a kind of support that she couldn't get anywhere else. The kind of help that would give them the time together that the normal circumstances of their life would deny them.

"I'm hoping that you'll allow me to help with that."

* * *

Dr. Jessop entered the darkened sleek office, his anxiety swirling about him like a cloak and robbing him of his characteristic composure. He knew what he was doing was dangerous and he wished his motivation had been monetary so that he could have walked away. Unfortunately, it wasn't money that prompted his actions but indiscretions –his. And he'd done too much let everything he'd worked for slip away.

So this violation of his professional oath, this betrayal of a young woman's trust, this deal with the devil was simply what had to be done.

"This is the information you requested." He slid a thin file across the glass desk hoping that his obligation was at an end. A hope proven vain by the menacing voice that spanned the darkness and enveloped his heart with tendrils of fear.

"Thank you, doctor." The words expressed little gratitude. "I'll expect regular updates on our little project here.

There was a short pause as the folder was opened and the pages briefly perused before he mercifully found himself being dismissed.

"That will be all, Doctor."

As he watched the man scurry from the room, Lionel Luthor felt the heady rush that always accompanied the exercise of power. But the thrill was minor compared to the heady sensations that rushed through him as he turned his attention back to the papers before him.

"Well, well, Miss Sullivan. What exactly has happened to you?"


	4. Chapter Three

A/N: I want to thank everyone who's left such lovely remarks. I know I don't say it enough, but you guys rock.

Also, I'm working on the next part of What You Don't Know. I actually hadn't realized that I'd left it so long 'til someone left a reply on it the other day. So expect a small delay in this story.

* * *

**  
Chapter Four**

"Sullivan."

If her voice was terse, Chloe couldn't help it. She'd been just about to turn off her phone when she checked the identity of the caller.

Lex.

She would have turned it off anyway and gone ahead with her plans but seeing as how she'd ditched his security team less than an hour ago she didn't want him to panic and send out the National Guard…mostly because she knew that he was one of the few people who could have them mobilized.

"_Where are you Chloe?"_

Strangely enough, Lex's irritation actually eased her own and an ironic humor colored her response.

"You know, Lex, I didn't lose your henchman for nothing."

She hoped the scratching sound she heard was static and not the gnashing of Lex's teeth.

"_I don't know what you think you're doing, but if it requires you to be so unencumbered by witnesses it's either illegal, dangerous, or both. And I'd feel quite secure wagering the majority of my vast wealth on both."_

"Of course you would," she calmly returned. "Luthors always bet the sure thing."

The tired sigh made Chloe feel the tiniest bit guilty until she remembered that Lex had been having her followed by his questionably effective security, was scolding her like a little child and, worse, wasting her valuable sneaking time.

"_Chloe, you were just stabbed."_

And then he had to go and ruin her righteous indignation with his poorly timed concern.

"That was over two weeks ago, Lex," she pointed out. "Besides, if I let every little murder attempt keep me down when would I _ever_ get anything done?"

Running her words back in her head she wondered if maybe her dad didn't have a point about moving. Who would've guessed that Kansas would turn out to be such a dangerous place to live?

"_Chloe, this isn't-"_

A familiar gray car drove past on the road a few hundred feet from where her car was concealed and turned onto an old dirt road.

"That's him! Going now."

Hitting the 'End' button on her phone, she cut off Lex's urgent ranting. The lecture he was beginning would keep but the man she'd spent hours stalking would not.

* * *

Chloe had always been impressed by the Luthors' ability to yell at someone without raising their voices. It was an exercise in restrained power that clearly demonstrated their anger while completely demoralizing their victim with the fact that they had caved in the face of what appeared to be so little provocation. It was a bastardly misuse of power and Chloe was half upset at the injustice of it and half jealous that she couldn't pull it off.

And so she was painfully familiar with the tone she heard in Lex's voice as she approached his study and resolved herself to save whatever poor schlub had made the current Luthor hit list. Although Chloe thought that was probably a poor choice of euphemisms when discussing a family that most likely had an _actual_ hit list and made a note to drop it and 'under then gun' from her vocabulary.

Besides, she had a fairly strong suspicion that the man currently being called on the carpet was the one she had ditched earlier in the day so that she could get some uninterrupted investigating done.

As she entered the room, slinging her coat and purse onto the large leather couch, she saw that her deduction had been correct. That was definitely the man she'd passed in the Met U library. Her disguise hadn't been elaborate - heels, different outfit, and a cheap brunette wig - but she'd learned that the best way to shake a tail was to never sneak. They had some kind of damn sneaking radar. But a few small changes to one's appearance and a confident strut threw them every time. Still, she hadn't meant for her undeniable genius to get the man fired.

And she had to admit that he was taking the set down far better than most. Which was a relief. No matter how open minded she tried to be about 'new age' guys, watching grown men cry was uncomfortable. However, watching a 220 pound, 6'3" behemoth who was packing heat cry would be more than Chloe could take without her stress transforming into a hysterical bout of the giggles.

"Geez Lex, the guy lost his mark, it happens. You don't want to fire him - he hasn't tried to beat, kidnap, or kill you and that probably puts him in the top 3 percent of your security force. You can't afford to let hard working, non-murderous employees like this fine gentleman go."

Approaching the desk, Chloe suddenly stopped and turned towards the large man, meeting his dazed and slightly aghast gaze with her characteristically open smile.

"Chloe Sullivan." Her hand went out to shake his. "I'm sure you know who I am what with the professional stalking and all, but it's always nice to observe the pleasantries, isn't it?"

As if on auto pilot a large hand reached up to engulf her own.

"Jacob Bowen."

"There you go Lex. Jake and I have a rapport. It'd be a shame to waste this kind of chemistry over events that you know would have occurred no matter who you sent to spy on me."

"Chloe-"

She didn't even let him get warmed up.

"Look, the guy was good Lex. Fantastic considering his inherent lack of blendability. And let's face it; I have been both the follower and the followee enough times to give expert testimony here. I needed to get some things done without worrying about an unknown variable accidentally giving up my game, so I lost him. We both know I would have shaken anyone eventually, and" Chloe smiled consolingly at the still bemused employee, "it probably took me half an hour longer with Jake than most."

Even if he'd been blind, Lex would have been able to read the writing on the wall. Chloe had always had a tender heart, and though she bristled at being tailed, she had tailed enough people herself to avoid the hypocrisy of vehement complaints. There was no way that she'd want a man to lose his job simply because she'd been doing what she felt was hers.

So he knew that he wasn't going to be able to fire Bowen. Hell, he and Chloe were on a first name basis now. Lex was sure that there was some obscure Chloe rule that would make terminating the man's employment akin to kicking a puppy.

Still, Lex could work with this. Chloe wasn't exaggerating her ability to elude the people he set in place to protect her, but if she liked Jacob, felt responsible for his continued employment, she might be willing to allow him greater access than others on the security team. And, as at least half of Chloe's trouble came when she wasn't necessarily actively searching it out, and adding in her as yet uncontrolled meteor ability, having someone around during her off time from snooping was equally important.

"Well, Jacob, it seems that providence has smiled on you. I'm willing to allow a one month probationary period pending improvement," his eyes turned to Chloe, "on _both_ your parts."

Ignoring Chloe's satisfied expression Lex turned back to the fortunate man. "That will be all."

Chloe threw herself into one of the chairs in front of Lex's desk, glad that the standoff was over and that he'd caved so gracefully. She knew that he had his reasons, but despite her somewhat successful investigation, she hadn't had the easiest of days, and she'd take whatever respite the universe saw fit to offer.

"So," Lex pondered as the large door closed, "I have to admit that you've taken this better than I anticipated."

"Yeah, well," she shrugged, "your paranoia isn't exactly startling, and it's nice to be back on the list of people you watch because you're worried about them being hurt and not the ones you worry about hurting you."

It wasn't a ringing endorsement of his actions, but it was acceptance and he'd take it.

"So, was there a reason, given your lack of objections, that you felt the need to nearly cost one of my finer employees his job and start me on the path to an ulcer?"

Chloe had missed Lex and his understated drama queen routine. It always made him seem accessible…and slightly dorky in an endearing sort of way.

"Two reasons really. One," she flipped up a finger, "I've found that the more people you bring to a break in the lower your success rate. You can only fit so many people under desks and behind doors. And two," another digit popped up, "the man I was following worked for your father and being in the direct line of fire between the two of you really hasn't ever worked out for me."

Lex froze at the mention of his father. Ever since the night Chloe was stabbed, Lionel had been conspicuously absent. His greatest hope had been that his father had been completely unaware of what had transpired with the activation of Chloe's abilities. His greatest fear had been that he'd remembered it all.

If Lionel knew what had happened, what Chloe could do, she was in as much danger as she had been during the man's trial, although maybe of a slightly different kind. Lex had learned his obsessive curiosity at his father's knee and although he acknowledged that he had ruthlessness within him he also knew that it was nothing when compared to his father's capacity for cruelty.

"If you don't want to be involved with my father, why on earth were you following one of his employees?" Lex asked even though he was certain that the answer really would give him the aforementioned ulcer.

"Well, I found some rather interesting files when I was poking around in…" she slowly trailed off before looking up at him with a small grin. "Actually that part's not really important right now. What is important is that there was some information about my target tonight and I wanted to see where it would lead me."

"Of course," he smoothly accepted her explanation. "Completely understandable. And if you'll just provide me with a copy of those files I'll be happy to help you figure out exactly what it is that my father is up to."

Chloe laughed; she couldn't help it. She knew that Lex had the same concerns regarding Lionel's recent silence that she did. However, she was hardly going to give away her only lead to a potentially huge story just because he was pretending to be reasonable about the whole thing.

Besides, as far as she could tell the matter had nothing to do with her newfound freakiness and as helpful as Lex was being she knew that he wouldn't hesitate to handle any matter that affected LuthorCorp personally and then sweep the consequences under the rug. He was a businessman and she understood that. And she could tell from the resigned acceptance in his eyes that he had the same understanding that she was a reporter.

"Don't worry, Lex. I'll fax you a copy of the article once it's printed."

Suddenly she seemed to sober, and Lex watched with trepidation as she worried her bottom lip, a look of anxiety settling on her face.

"Seeing as you're taking this all so well, I guess this is as good a time as any for the bad news."

"Oh God." That was the last thing that he'd needed to hear. Chloe wasn't so much a cynic as she was a pragmatist. It allowed her a level of optimism because she was simply realistic about life as opposed to suspicious of it. Lex had always felt a kind of kinship with her in her view that most things that people would consider a hardship they tended to view as an opportunity in disguise. So if Chloe thought that this new development was bad then it was either because it was truly disturbing, or because she believed that he would view it as such. Neither of those things boded well in his mind.

"Oh be quiet you big baby," she scolded with a roll of her eyes at his dramatics. "I haven't even said anything yet."

"Chloe, you broke into on of my father's holdings," Lex began ticking of points on this fingers, "learned that he was involved in something that, from your silence, I'm guessing is highly illegal, eluded the security that was there for your protection, and followed a man who could very well have been dangerous given the identity of his employer; so I think that I can be forgiven for expecting such dire straights if your bad news is somehow worse than all of that."

And her answer convinced Lex that not only had he been right to be concerned, but that his seeming pessimism had been nowhere near strong enough.

"Lionel sent me flowers at the Planet."

Knowing from her expression that more was coming, Lex closed his eyes and tried to will away the headache he felt approaching.

"And a dinner invitation."


End file.
